New road and airport will threaten holy site

For now, Mount Kailash remains remote, but plans to upgrade the region's infrastructure, which include the construction of a civilian airport in the regional capital of Ngari and a ring road around the mountain, could change that.

The Chinese authorities recognise Tibet's huge tourism potential. Last year the "autonomous" region attracted more than a million visits, a number which they hope to see increasing to more than 10 million by 2020.

Among young Chinese tourists the roof of the world has already become chic: it's not uncommon to see young people from Beijing in jeans and swinging prayer wheels.

With the world's highest railway connecting Tibet to mainland China set to open within two years, numbers will no doubt soar. Tibetans fear the railway will also bring more waves of Chinese immigrants and a further diminishing of its rich natural resources.

Despite greater economic freedom in Tibet as China opens up to the West, religious and political repression continues, stifling moves by Tibetans towards self-determination and forbidding worship of the exiled Dalai Lama. Many continue their devotions in secret: practising their faith is in itself a form of resistance.

"The Chinese don't understand anything about our culture because they don't have religion," said one pilgrim when asked about the proposed road around Mount Kailash. "Every stone is important, every piece of land is something special."

He paused, close to tears. "Please tell people in the West that if they build a road Kailash is finished."